


Forever Home

by bridgeburningbucky



Category: Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Feels, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, Stucky - Freeform, all the feels, angy Steve Rogers, but also shy Steve Rogers, ghost au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:48:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26647774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bridgeburningbucky/pseuds/bridgeburningbucky
Summary: Bucky moves into Steve's home but there's a catch, Steve died back in WW2. Cue an angry ghost who goes soft for one Bucky Barnes.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 4
Kudos: 62





	Forever Home

**Author's Note:**

> I told [@BuckyBarnes8999](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuckyBarnes8999/pseuds/BuckyBarnes8999) this idea during a tropical storm back in July and I finally finished it! Thank you James for entertaining all my ideas ♥️ Also it's my birthday so this is a gift to me and y'all, hope you like it :)

_“Emergency Alert. Hurricane Warning this area til 7 am EDT: Avoid flood areas. We advise that you do not travel unless you’re evacuating the area. Check local media for more updates.”_

Bucky reads out loud from his phone as he’s grabbing his keys and shoves one shoe on, heading towards the door.

This is literally the worst time for the weather to be acting up. He’s still got boxes in the moving truck and no food or anything in case of emergencies.

Locking the front door, he looks up at the sky and the sun is still peeking through the clouds, but he sees in the distance how the blue shifts to grey. He probably has an hour tops before the rain begins to fall.

He knows there’s a little shop about ten minutes down the road and prays they have supplies that will last him through Monday.

Steve watches him leave in a hurry. His eyebrows drawn down and his mouth turned down in a frown. He heard the man say something about the weather being bad but he doesn’t care. He looks around at the half empty house, boxes thrown around. Blankets on the couch where he’s been sleeping.

It’s not the first time he sees his home in this state. Almost twice a year there’s a new family moving in with wide eyes and hopeful smiles.

Until Steve makes their life a living hell. Never wanting anyone to change the color of the kitchen walls or the cracked tile from when a picture frame fell when he ran through the house as a kid.

This man, _James_ , he had heard him say to the realtor, hadn’t been in the house that much, not having had time to settle in like past owners had. The man hadn’t had enough time to think that this was his home and not Steve’s. This had _always_ been Steve’s home, and nothing was going to change that.

He wasn’t always angry, simmering under his skin waiting for someone to make a wrong move before exploding. Having a temper had been one of his traits but for other reasons rather than just pure hatred. His temper had gotten him in trouble many times, but nothing like what he had been experiencing for the past 50 years.

Maybe dying did that to a person.

__

Bucky makes it back home as it starts to drizzle a bit, loud thunder making his review mirror tremble. His hands squeeze the steering wheel as his anxiety starts to grow. He never did do good with bad weather.

Pulling up next to the moving truck he rushes inside to drop off the supplies he was able to get and runs back out to get the last few boxes he can from the truck.

Sweat drips down his back, his hair is thrown up in a messy bun but he’s unbothered with his appearance. Though he has this feeling in the back of his mind that someone is watching him. He would have played it to some nosey neighbors, but it hasn’t left him even when he’s inside the house.

Stacking the last box of his things by the front door he finally takes a deep breath as he closes and locks the door.

Today is the fourth day since he moved in to his first home. A _homeowner_ , it hasn’t sunk in yet. He couldn’t give up the opportunity when he came across this two-story home built back in the 1900s still in good condition. The pictures he had seen of it in its prime was what sold him, looking up at it now, it needs a lot of fixing but nothing he can’t deal with.

The blue tint of the house is faded and there are spots where the walls need scrubbing. The red front door is scratched and the wrap around porch needs the floorboards changed but it’s nothing time and a little love that won’t fix it.

The inside is in a bit better shape but there seems to be a lot of started projects that were left unfinished. The realtor who sold him the house said there had been quite a few people to go through the house but didn’t really give a reason why.

Either way he’s sure he’s found his forever home.

__

Steve sees him put away the nonperishable items in the pantry. Inserting batteries into the flashlights he bought in case the power goes out. He feels the simmering anger start to bubble when the man starts going through the moving boxes in the kitchen. He’s ready to knock down the glass cups set on the counter when he sees the easy smile on James’ face when he begins to hum a song under his breath as he tiptoes to place them in the cabinet.

His hand slowly drops to his side, feeling the heated emotion drain out of his body at seeing the small happiness radiate from the man. His hair is thrown up messily, strands falling out of place but making him look ethereal all the same.

Feeling empty for the first time in what seems like an eternity he takes a step back and watches Bucky finish setting up the kitchen like he likes, the light energy radiating from him making him seem weightless.

 _He_ feels weightless.  
__

The weather the rest of the day is just the same as it was when Bucky had been on the road earlier. He finally gets a chance to put away his things in his new home which eases his anxiety. He can’t help but smile at seeing his kitchen look and be filled with actual things. He’s folding the cardboard boxes he emptied when the box cutter clatters on the floor just as there’s a roar of thunder above.

His heart beats fast and he has to catch himself against the counter, so he doesn’t lose balance. He takes a deep breath; _it’s just thunder_ he tells himself.

Looking out the kitchen window he sees it’s gotten darker out, though the sun on any other day would still be shining down.

He moves onto the living room and decides to call his sister to have company as he works.  
__

Still reeling from the drop of constant anger after years of it being the only thing he’s known, Steve sits perched up on the kitchen counter that overlooks the living room and watches the man laugh with a woman on speaker. The anger almost emerges when the woman brings up remodeling the house. His head perks up from where he had it propped on his hand, the trance like feeling gone.

He expects to feel the simmering feeling of rage to come back but is caught off guard when he hears James share his sentiments on the horrible idea of remodeling his home. Steve throws up his hands in the air and thinks, _Thank you! Someone finally gets it._

It’s the second time he’s been surprised by this man and he’s starting to wonder whether he’ll finally let someone stay in his home. Maybe it’s time he tries not to be alone.

“Are you ready for the storm? It came out of nowhere huh? Mom’s got me counting can food just in case.”

He sees the man roll his eyes lovingly, “She’s such a weirdo. And I think I am? I mean, I went to the store as soon as I got the storm warning. Kind of wish I had more time to board up the windows.”

Bucky stares out the window noticing the branches on the tree swaying dangerously as the wind picks up faster. He’s afraid if it gets any worse the roots will get uprooted. In a softer voice he says, “I wish you were here, kind of sucks being alone.”

His sister sighs, “I know, mom said as soon as it’s safe to drive we’ll go to you. To help you get settled and keep you company.”

Bucky chuckles dryly, “Why did I decide to move two hours away from you guys again?”

He can picture Becca’s eyes roll when she bites back, “Cause you found your dream house you doofus.”

Steve can feel the man’s anxiousness in the air, it makes him worry his bottom lip in concern. He wishes he could help. And there’s a thought, he hasn’t felt the need to help anyone in years.

And then the lights go out.

He hears James curse as his sister’s voice gets cut off too, “The cell towers must have gotten knocked down.”

Steve doesn’t know what that means but he can see or rather _feel_ James’ panic rise tenfold.

He’s afraid to be alone. He just lost the company of his sister but _Steve_ could keep him company.

He had felt the energy of the day radiate softly from within him. He doesn’t know whether it’s the day of his birthday or his death. Probably the latter since he hadn’t seen or heard any mention of the Fourth of July.

He balls his fists at his sides and looks around in thought. Should he make himself known? He could, but he can’t just do it out right he’ll scare the living hell out of James. That’s not what he needs.

There’s a bang outside and James flinches. Steve walks to the front window and sees the trash can has been knocked down.

That’s it.

He doesn’t hesitate to make his way outside, getting tickled when he moves through the closed front door. He takes a look at the neighborhood and the rushing water running down the sidewalk.

_Okay Steve, this should be easy, just for one night._

He walks further out into the front yard, the heavy rain and wind doing nothing to deter him from the spot he’s on, not like the trees or plants.

He focuses on the energy that’s been given to him on this day. It grows from the small ball in his stomach, flowing through the rest of his body. When it reaches past his nose, he inhales like he’s popped out from under water.

He hasn’t taken a breath in years, never using the days in his favor. He never had a reason to.

As soon as his physical body is rooted on earth, he’s almost knocked over by the Mother Nature herself. He thinks it’s almost in a ‘fuck you for being ungrateful.’

He’s immediately soaked and he’s got to cover his eyes from the pelting rain. He braces himself against the wind and makes his way up the walkway, and up the stairs to the wrap around porch.

He bangs on door and waits.

James peaks his head around the curtains and Steve barely sees his eyes widen in shock before the door is being ripped open and he’s being dragged inside.

“What the hell are you doing outside?!” James asks frantically.

“I had gone out to bring the trash can into the garage but it jammed and it turns out I locked myself out too,” he gets out through chattering teeth. Wow, he did not miss being cold. “That rain is freezing.”

James leads him to the sofa and doesn’t even care when it’s starts soaking up with water, “Here, let me get you a towel before you freeze to death.”

He rummages through some boxes before wrapping Steve up in two towels. Rubbing his arms through the towel to bring some heat back to the man’s body.

Steve gets out, “Thank you. Sorry this is the worst housewarming greeting ever.”

James chuckles, “Rather it be a soaking you than a dead you pal.”

“That’s fair.”

“I think it’d be best if you changed out of those clothes.”

As welcoming as the heat that makes its way to his cheeks is, he still stutters, “What?”

James doesn’t give him a second glance before he’s rummaging through some more boxes, “Your clothes are drenched and there’s no way I’m letting you back out there.”

Steve internally sighs in relief; he hadn’t thought about the possibility that James wouldn’t let him stay. But experiencing the man’s easy generosity firsthand makes that idea seem silly.

“Thank you, I really appreciate it, I uh, live three houses down to the left of you,” he lies through his chattering teeth.

James hands him some folded clothes and smiles, “Well you’re lucky it was my house you knocked on huh?”

He leads Steve to the first-floor bathroom and Steve has to pretend he doesn’t know that the door needs a hard tug to close right.

With only the flashlight that James gave him, he stripes and makes sense of the clothes he’s given.

He gets some soft loose looking pants with strings at the front. As he shoves his right leg into the pant leg, he realizes they’re not as loose as they appear. He’s definitely taller than James and heavier. He looks down at the hem of the pants that land just about mid-calf.

The next item is a shirt with the words ‘Mess with the _honk,_ you get the _bonk_ ’ and a drawing of a goose with a bat in its beak. He doesn’t get it but if James wears this shirt, he’s not going to question it.

And finally, there’s an oversized jacket, there’s no zipper and it has a single pocket in the middle. He’s seen past owners wear some of these. He always thought they looked ridiculous but once he puts it on the soft fabric rubs his skin and a feeling of understanding washes over him. He’s sure this used to be even softer but he can feel the years of use. Years of _James_ wearing this.

He pulls on the door just hard enough to unjam and makes his way through the dark house and back to the living room.

Bucky hears the soft patter of his neighbor’s footsteps. Coming to stand on the other side of the counter, he sees the man’s eyebrows quirk up at the steaming mug in front of him.

Bucky smiles big, “I got this wireless burner last black Friday. Here I made you some hot tea.”

He slides the mug over and the man sighs as he wraps his hands around it. That reminds James, “Sorry I didn’t even introduce myself before I started mother henning you, I’m James but everyone calls me Bucky.”

“Steve, and I’d rather no introductions than lose feeling in my toes.”

Bucky throws his head back and laughs.

Bucky takes in how Steve looks comfortable in his clothes or better yet just overall in his space.

He might have been staring too long because Steve ends up awkwardly asking, “So...how are you liking the house?”

Bucky’s face breaks out into a big smile and Steve’s eyes soften a bit, “I’m in love with it! I wasn’t looking to buy a house but when this listing fell on my lap I fell in love.”

Steve returns the smile, “That’s great, I’m glad it’s in the hands of a good owner then.”

Bucky raises an eyebrow at the comment, “Were the past owners bad?”

Steve rubs the back of his neck, “I wouldn’t say bad but there’s been quite a few people pass through here. None of them as nice as you though.” He sees Bucky smile at that comment.

“Well, I’m glad you think that because I’m here to stay.”

And that makes Steve feel a warmth inside his chest. It’s not a heated, burning feeling of loathing but one of shyness. Like what he felt when he had his first kiss with the neighbor’s niece two summers before the draft.

“So how long have you lived in this neighborhood?”

Steve lets out a breath, stirring his tea, “Since I can remember actually. It was my parents first home and I’ve just never _left._ ” He feels a bit embarrassed saying that out loud, he scoffs a bit to himself looking at steaming tea, “As pathetic as that sounds, but yeah.”

“That sounds amazing actually.”

He looks up to see Bucky leaning against the counter with his chin on his hand. A soft smile on his face, almost like he’s thinking of a good memory.

Bucky breaks from his reverie, “My family moved a lot for my dad’s job so we never really had any ‘roots’ and that’s something I’ve always wanted. Just a place I know for sure I’ll never want to leave and make it a place to raise my family and one day their family,” this time it’s him who lets out a little self-deprecating laugh, “I think it’s me who’s pathetic.”

Steve shakes his head, “No, no that’s not pathetic at all. I wish I would have traveled a bit more but I never really had the chance.”

“It’s never too late,” Bucky adds and Steve is finding it hard to not just spill out, _Actually I can’t travel because I’m tied down to this place for eternity,_ but then Bucky’s adding, “Is it your job? That makes it hard to travel?”

Steve panics a bit, he feels his stomach drop and wow, he did not miss this feeling. He takes a giant sip of his tea to think of something. He audibly swallows and nods his head, “Well, I was in the army, been to Germany and London but then I came back home and now I just, uh, I freelance. I paint.”

Bucky’s eyes widen impressed, “Oh wow that must be nice,” his eyes crinkle in a smile when he adds, “a drastic change in career choice for sure.”

And doesn’t he know it. He was going to go to art school before he got drafted, but Bucky doesn’t need to know that.

Instead he keeps playing along to his would be life, “Yeah I always wanted to just do art but I felt this obligation to join,” he shrugs his shoulders, “I was still a kid but I eventually ended up here so, it’s not too bad.” And that’s as close to the truth he will probably get.

“I’d love to see your work, maybe I can commission you to do something for the house.”

Steve can’t help but smile, “I’d love that.”

What has he gotten himself into? Once the sun decides to set tomorrow, he’ll be back to being a cold spirit living in this house forced to see Bucky live his life.

__

Bucky can’t help but admire Steve. First, he can’t help but feel giddy at seeing him dressed in his clothes that are a size or two way too small. His bangs haven’t seemed to settle in place since he dried off, making him look cozy and soft. There’s something that Bucky can’t place about the aura his gives off. Almost like he belongs here, in Bucky’s home. Which is silly because Bucky just met the man and is just being a good host. But there’s definitely this change in the air, a connection of sorts.

They eventually make their way to sit in the living room and sit on the three-person couch that faces the window overlooking the front yard. There’s not much to see besides the dark figures of the tree’s branches that sway dangerously with the wind. Bucky does set his flashlight in-between them were they sit on opposite sides of the couch as they sip their tea in peace.

He sees Steve fidgeting with his tea mug and eventually breaks the silence, “So, what brings you here besides finding the house?”

Bucky can see that he’s nervous but it’s not in an awkward way like he’d imagined it would be to have to spend this horrible storm with a complete stranger. It almost has the energy of a first date, like if this was planned. Keep those thoughts at bay Barnes, don’t make this situation some once in a lifetime romantic sentiment.

He shakes those thoughts and answers, “I actually fix houses,” he sees Steve’s jaw clench before he relaxes quickly. He explains, “I find houses that’ve been abandoned or just need a little love and then I sell them off.”

“But I thought this was your dream home?”

Bucky tilts his head at that, “Oh did I mention that earlier?” Steve nods his head quickly and Bucky nods along, “Right, well I saw the listing for this one and the price was pretty good on its own for me to fix it but then I actually saw it in person. I walked inside and I was just hit with this feeling of ‘this is the one’ and I decided to keep it for myself.”

He sees Steve visibly drop his shoulders, “I feel the same way about my home. It’s the only connection I have to my parents,” he says softly.

Bucky’s heart breaks hearing that, “I’m sorry.”

Steve waves a dismissive hand, “Don’t be, it’s been a long time and at this point I would just like to preserve the house as it is for as long as I can. They worked a lot to be able to keep it.”

“I bet, that’s nice that you want to keep that connection.”

Steve nods, “Yeah it’s been tough though, a lot of people have tried to buy the house from me, since a lot of these houses are considered ‘historical’ and then they try changing it up,” he rolls his eyes.

And Bucky gets that, he had a lot of clients who want to hire his services to make the houses more modern. Something he sees has been tried with this house but to no avail, he says as much, “Yeah I noticed that there’s a lot of projects started on this house but none of them seem to be finished and I’m grateful honestly. The beauty of these houses is that they have so much history and they’ve managed to still look this good.”

Steve watches him as he rambles on about the type of houses he’s fixed and the horrible people he’s come across, “I’m telling you, sometimes I don’t even want to sell the houses because the people don’t even seem to appreciate having a house! It makes me go crazy!”

They laugh and then a calm silence falls over them, the rain hitting the roof of the house and the leaves rattling on the trees the only thing they hear. Bucky follows the rim of the mug with his finger, “So what kind of paintings do you do?”

He wants to know everything about Steve, he can’t get rid of this feeling like he belongs here, like this is something they should always be doing. Being in each other’s presence.

“Um, I do a bit of everything, mostly portraits,” he says a little modest.

Bucky’s eyes widen as he remembers the painting that he found in the attic, “I think one of the previous owners was a painter also, I found some frames tucked away in the attic.”

Steve looks a little shellshocked but Bucky just puts it to surprise at how excited Bucky sounded, “Really? I’d really like to see them,” he says sheepishly with an undertone of eagerness.

Bucky gets up from the couch, “Come with me, the frames are pretty heavy.”

Flashlights are their only guidance in the dark, shinning their way up the steps, when Steve warns, “Watch out for that step, there’s a rusted nail sticking out the carpet.”

Bucky looks down, pointing the flashlight at the step, “Huh, I wouldn’t even have seen it if you hadn’t pointed out, thanks.”

“No problem.”

They make it to the top of the stairs before Steve is reaching out to him, hand on Bucky’s shoulder, “Watch out, the second step is a bit loose.”

Bucky shines the light down and the floorboard of the step indeed does seem loose. If he would have stepped on it wrong, he might have tipped over. How did he not notice that when he had his walkthrough of the house? He looks over his shoulder at Steve, “Thanks again.” Steve just nods at him; he’s looking a little panicked but Bucky just brushes it off for fear of Bucky possibly sending them both tumbling down the stairs.

Bucky looks around the landing of the second floor and shines the light at the ceiling, “I think the attic entrance was somewhere over-“

“Here,” Steve says from across the landing and tugs on the string that pulls on the ladder. Before Bucky can question how he knew, Steve adds, “We have the same layout.”

“That makes sense,” Bucky chuckles. Once they’ve both climbed on to the attic Bucky walks over to where he saw the paintings. “Look they’re over here!” He looks back at Steve and what he finds is a man who looks lost.

Steve is frozen where he stands, his eyes shifting over all the things, “There’s a lot of things up here.”

Bucky chuckles, “Yeah seems like the past owners forgot about them, though some of these might also be from the original owners which is pretty neat. I haven’t had a chance to look over everything yet.”

He finally tugs on the tarp that’s covering the paintings, “Hey can you come here and pull this frame up, you look like you might be a little bit stronger than me.”

That brings Steve out of his stupor and he manages to pull free the rest of the tarp and uncovers the portraits. His breath catches in his throat. It’s a portrait he did of his mother a couple months before he shipped out. Her hair had just begun to gray a bit more, and she started wearing less makeup and more comfy sweaters. She has a soft smile, laugh lines just visible enough to reveal years of happiness.

“Wow,” Bucky says in awe.

Steve swallows the lump in his throat, “Yeah, she’s beautiful.”

“Look at the date! It’s from the 40s,” Bucky runs his fingers slightly over the date and the last name, _Rogers._ He looks over at Steve and asks shyly, “Do you think it would be wrong if I hung this up in the house?”

He can’t describe the look that Steve gives him, relief? Maybe gratitude?

“Nah, Buck I think it would be wonderful if you had this up.”

A big smile breaks onto his face at the softness of Steve’s voice, “Okay do you think we can bring it down now?”

“Are you just using me cause I’m here and strong?”

He shrugs, “What do you want me to do? You don’t just waste the lemons life gives you Steve.”

“I’m going to ignore the fact that you compared me to lemons.”

They manage to get down the frame and with Steve’s guidance and ability to hold onto the flashlight they make it down the stairs.

The portrait ends up leaning against the wall by the window. They sit back down and admire the painting once more.

“I wonder what her name was,” Bucky asks still fascinated by the fact that he has this piece of someone’s life.  
__

“Sarah,” Steve says softly.

Bucky looks over at him, “How do you know?”

At this point it’s getting easier to come up with a cover, “My grandmother would talk about a Sarah that lived down the street, they were friends.”

“Isn’t that crazy? That we have this piece of her now?”

Steve smiles, “Yeah it is, I’m glad you’re going to hang it up.”

Bucky settles back into the corner of the couch and asks, “I wonder what it was like living back then.”

Steve doesn’t know why he starts talking but he can’t stop himself once he starts, “It was pretty simple…I’d say. There was technology but not like there is now. You lived day to day trying to make a living. And sometimes things were tough but that was just a part of life.” He looks over at Bucky and he can’t help but smile, “Sorry, I don’t know what I’m saying.”

Bucky shakes his head, “No, that sounds exactly how I imagine it was like. Though the perks of today’s age are pretty nice, though I do think the idea of love back then was better.”

Steve’s eyebrows scrunch up in question.

With the light of his flashlight he can see a blush creeping its way up Bucky’s face as he looks down at his hands, “I feel like back then, someone found the person they wanted to spend the rest of their life with and then stuck with them. It seems like today people just want to be with someone because they don’t want to be alone, or they don’t have the desire to give this one person their all.” He laughs at himself and then covers his face with his hands, “Why do I feel embarrassed talking about this?”

Steve wants to reach out and grab his hands, he wants to do more than that but he’ll settle for enjoying his presence.

“I see what you mean, I remember my mom talk about the day she met my dad. She thought he had no interest in her but then she was surprised when he tracked her down and asked her to go steady. But not all of us get that lucky I guess.”

 _He_ wasn’t lucky. Besides the kiss from the neighbor’s niece and the quick hand jobs from the guy he messed with during bootcamp there wasn’t any more time for him to experience love or even a crush.

“Yeah, the last guy I was with ended up dating two other people while we were dating.”

“What an asshole.”

Bucky laughs, “I agree.”

“It’s his loss and I’m sure there’s someone else out there for you.”

Steve wishes that someone was him but it could never be. Come tomorrow night he’ll disappear and leave Bucky. There’s a part of him that wants to tell Bucky but he’s afraid that he’ll be rejected or that Bucky will be so freaked out that he’ll end up selling the house. Bucky loves this house and it would shitty for Steve to take that away from him.

Bucky timidly asks, “Is there someone special in your life at the moment?” He bites his lip and looks curiously at Steve.

He gives Bucky a sad smile and lies, “No, not at the moment.”

There’s a hint of hopefulness in Bucky’s eyes when he says, “Like you said, there’s someone out there for you.”

Something clatters upstairs and it startles both of them making Bucky laugh, “I seriously think there’s a ghost in this house. Earlier the box cutter fell off the counter.”

Steve laughs along, “I wouldn’t be surprised, the house is old enough.”

Bucky looks around and he says I think I left my flashlight back up in the attic, let me go get it real quick.”

Steve is about to get up and offer to go but Bucky is already snatching up his flashlight and making his way towards the stairs and yelling back, “Hope you’re not afraid of the dark!”

When he peaks his head inside the attic, he sees that the clatter they heard was his flashlight rolling over onto the floor. Half the flashlight is hidden under a tarp. Curious he uncovers whatever is under the carp and finds a trunk. It’s quite beat up; the dark green paint is chipping away in certain spots and the lock that holds it close is rusty. Rusty enough that when he pulls the clasp it breaks off.

He sets down the flashlight as he needs both hands to open the trunk seeing as it hasn’t been open in so long. Once open, he shines the light inside and it’s filled almost to the brim with personal items.

There’s letters and post cards addressed to Sarah. This must be from her husband he thinks. The man’s uniform is neatly folded and he runs his hands over the thick material, over the medals pinned to the chest. He finds a framed picture of the man in question and Bucky’s heart about almost stops.

The man in the picture looks just like _Steve._ The picture is from the chest up and his mouth is set in a thin line, he looks so intimidating, nothing like the man downstairs who has been looking shyly at him all night. The man in the picture has his hair neatly gelled down and clean shaven to show a cut jaw.

Bucky is in shock; his mind is racing a mile a minute and he knows if Becca were here she’d say _it looks like you’ve seen a ghost_. But there’s no way. This must be his great grandfather; Sarah must have gotten the trunk at one point.

He starts digging through the rest of the trunk. There’s a notebook full of drawings and notes from the man. There are pictures from the man in this _house_ standing outside with Sarah. Pictures of a small skinny kid with a baseball glove and a man who must be his father. There’s a picture with the man sitting on top of the staircase with a floorboard uncovered, art supplies poking through. The _loose floorboard._

The baseball cap the kid is wearing is underneath a family photo and on the inside is stitched _S.Rogers._

Bucky’s heart pounds. There’s _no_ way. It can’t be. Has he actually been speaking with a ghost the whole night, is that who has been keeping him company? But he’s _touched_ him! He felt warm and solid when he pulled him in from the rain.

He shines the light once more over the trunk and something flashes from beneath the uniform. He gently picks up the uniform and finds an urn. Itched beautifully are the dates of the soldier and his name.

_July 4, 1918-September 25, 1944_

_Steve Grant Rogers_

Bucky gently puts the urn back in the trunk, along with all the other things and closes the lid.

He feels absolutely stunned.

He makes his way down the attic with the two flashlights and the framed army picture of Steve. When he makes it to the bottom of the stairs, he hears Steve joke, “I was certain the ghost had gotten to you.”

Bucky approaches the couch and flashes the light at Steve, the man is definitely there.

“Bucky? What’s wrong? It looks like you’ve seen a ghost,” he chuckles nervously.

Bucky walks up to him and touches Steve’s face, “You’re really here, but how?”

Steve closes his eyes and lets out a sigh. When he opens them, his eyes are drawn to the framed picture of him in his uniform. He knows. Bucky knows and he’s not kicking him off the porch and into the storm.

Even though the house is quiet and the rain has slowed down Steve whispers softly as to not further break the fragile look in Bucky’s eyes, “Please let me explain.” He covers a hand over the one placed on his cheek and squeezes.

Bucky sits down cross-legged facing Steve. Now that he knows that he’s not crazy and Steve is _not_ supposed to be here he can’t fathom not having him close. With Steve’s hand still wrapped around his he stares intently at the man’s face. The one flashlight is illuminating half of each other’s faces. But he can still see the softness in Steve’s eyes that’s been staring back at him all night.

Steve lets out a big breath, “I don’t know why I’m here. _No_ , that’s a lie, I- I think I know why…when I got shot back in Germany, I remember one of my soldiers saying _think about the place you love most_ and I did. It was _home._ This is the last thing I thought about when I let out my last breath. I thought about my mother and her rocking chair out on the porch. And my father sitting on the front steps.” He feels a tightness in his chest and tears welling up in his eyes and sees tears run Bucky’s face too

“But how are you _physically_ here? You’ve been here since the day I moved in?”

Steve nods his head, “I’ve been here since the day I was brought home.”

“Your…ashes,” Bucky says softly.

“I don’t know how having my ashes here at home brought me back but the first thing I saw when I came to, was my mother standing under the front tree with my urn in her arms. I-I think she scattered some of my ashes there.”

Bucky squeezes his hand, “But you feel so _real_ Steve.”

Steve chuckles, “You know how this house has had many owners? And none of them seem to stay long?”

He sees the moment when it clicks for Bucky, “It was you! You ran them all out!”

“I was so angry. As the years of my parents passing continued, the angrier I felt myself grow. I was constantly in this rage of fury when people would be in _my_ home,” as he thinks back to the first couple of years, he begins to feel the simmering anger under his skin. Though it doesn’t overtake his body because Bucky grabs his other hand and grounds him, giving him a smile as if to say _it’s okay, I’ve got you_.

He continues, taking a deep breath, “A night after a family who tried to tear down the porch left, I was sitting in here and I felt so wrathful and there was this feeling in my stomach that I gave into and the next thing I know, I was…here. I walked around the house all day and I fixed things that had been changed. Or tried to be changed, I thought I was being given a second chance,” his voice drops off.

“What happen?”

“I woke up the next day and I was nothing again. It happened again, at this point I didn’t know what year it was or what day, I was just mindlessly here. But then I figured it out one Fourth of July, I could hear fireworks. I sat out on the porch until the next day I vanished from my body again. Then when the next one came, I figured that it might be the day that I died.”

Bucky whispers, “It’s the twenty-fifth today.”

Steve nods his head in understanding.

“So, you always make an appearance? Even if there’s people living here?”

Steve smiles and shakes his head, “No, I became resentful of the fact that I only had a day to be in my body. I refused to change, but I did mess with whoever bought the house.”

“The box cutter.”

Steve looks sheepish, “That was an accident, I didn’t have any intentions of messing with you.”

Bucky looks curiously at him, “Why?”

“I almost did at first, I was angry that someone had decided to make this place their home, I was ready to see the first bags of supplies to make it through the front door. But then I heard you talk about the house like I heard my mom talk about. With this joy and admiration for it, the fact that you wanted to restore it to it’s original state made me feel something other than intense rage for once.”

He sees Bucky’s face begin to blush, “I think that’s the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me.”

That makes Steve laugh but then he remembers that he can never have anything romantic with Bucky, it’s not possible.

“So, you decided to show up for me?” Bucky looks at him hopeful.

This time Steve blushes embarrassedly, “I was already beginning to feel so enamored by the idea of you living here that when the lights went out and I saw you panic I knew that I had to keep you company.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t piece together all the times you said things that you shouldn’t have known!”

Steve’s smile returns and this time it reaches from ear to ear, “I really thought I had given myself away when we found the portrait of my mom but you were none the wiser.”

Bucky hits his forehead softly with their hands, “I can’t believe I didn’t see the resemblance! You have her eyes for god sake.”

Steve looks over at the portrait of his mom, “Yeah we do.”

“And the loose board! I can’t believe you would use that to store your art supplies!”

“How do you know about that?”

Bucky gets up from the couch and drags Steve up the stairs where they manage to pull the board off and there, in the 9 by 8 step are dried up paints and brushes with the handles covered in dust. Steve picks them up and he can’t believe he never thought to look and see if his mom had cleared them out.

Before he can reminisce too long Bucky drags him up the attic ladder and shows him his trunk.

“My flashlight had rolled under the tarp and I found this trunk,” he points to it and steps aside so that Steve can take a look a it.

He kneels next to it, “This is the footlocker that they gave us at bootcamp, they must have shipped it to the house after I died.”

“It seems your mom put some of your belongings in there too,” Bucky says softly.

Steve opens the locker and runs through all the things that Bucky had seen. He holds up the framed picture of his family and just like the portrait of his mom, he feels so grateful to be able to see their faces again. He had begun to forget what they had looked like; an overwhelming rush of emotions fills his chest and he can’t hold back the sob that breaks out.

He falls back onto his haunches and Bucky catches him as he loses his balance. Cradled in Bucky’s arms he sobs as he remembers his parents and the years he’s been alone.

Bucky runs his hands up and down his back and tries to sooth him, “It’s okay, it’s okay Steve.”

“I miss them so much, and I hate myself for not figuring out how to present myself before they died. I could have said goodbye to them properly.”

Through his own tears Bucky says, “They knew you loved them Steve, and I’m positive they loved you.”

“I was so _alone_ Bucky, I was so _angry._ ”

“You’re not alone anymore Steve, you have me now and I promise I’ll never leave you,” Bucky swears and kisses Steve’s head.

Steve looks up at him, tear stained face red from sobbing, “But _I’m_ going to leave you Buck! I’ll be gone tomorrow and then I won’t be able to see you.”

Bucky wipes away the tears that continue to fall, he sees the pain and fear of being alone in Steve’s eye and he tries to manifest the devotion and affection he feels for him, “Steve, now that I know you’ll be here, I’m never going to let you feel alone. We’ll figure out how to communicate when the time comes but for now let’s spend the rest of the time you have left together.”

That makes Steve nod his head quickly, he needs to cherish every moment he has before he vanishes.

They make their way back downstairs and the shift in their relationship from strangers to friends, to possibly something more has settled when they lay down on the couch together.

They curl up together face to face so that they can enjoy the physical presence of the other. They whisper stories of childhood together and of what the future holds. They say the first things that come to mind, trying to get as much out as they can before their communication is limited. Until Bucky starts fighting sleep and Steve lets him know that he’ll most likely be here until the next sunset as that’s when he decided to appear this time around. After that, Bucky lets his eyes shut and he drifts off to sleep.

He wakes up a couple hours later when the sun rises and sees that Steve’s still awake, “Good morning.”

Steve smiles at him, “Morning Buck, you’re real pretty when you sleep.”

“That’s a bit creepy Steve,” he says through a yawn.

Steve laughs out loud, “You’re concerned about me watching you sleep but not about the fact that I am in fact a _ghost_?”

Bucky shrugs his shoulders and cuddles into the crook of Steve’s neck, “You can’t help that you’re a ghost Steve, but you’re choosing to creep on me while you sleep.”

“That’s fair but either way it's true, you're so beautiful.”

"And you're a handsome ghost."

They spend their morning whispering more secrets to each other on the couch. Eating Breakfast and lunch as close as possible, always some kind of contact between them.

As the sun starts to set, an anxious energy begins to settle in at the thought of Steve leaving. Bucky doesn’t know what to expect. Will Steve be able to give him a warning before it happens or will he just disappear into thin air?

Steve tries to explain that it’s a gradual thing that he can feel.

The rain has died down, replaced by a constant drizzle so they decide to sit out on the porch and take advantage of the minutes they have left together.

Bucky’s leaning back against the wall of the house with Steve laying between his legs, their arms tangled in front of Steve’s lap. The sun is slowly starting to set and Bucky whispers into Steve’s hair, “I won’t say I won’t miss you because I know you’ll be here.”

Steve raises their hands and kisses Bucky’s, “I’ll be here until forever with you.”

Minutes pass and Steve’s breath hitches as the energy that keeps him here on earth starts to fade, “It’s happening Buck.”

Bucky feels panic as Steve’s legs start to disappear, he holds on tight until eventually he’s holding air. He wants to cry but he reminds himself that Steve is still _here_. He can feel him still and that feeling he had of Steve belonging here in his home, in _their_ home was right.

He says as much to Steve, “I can still feel you.”

It’s weird at first, talking to the air, trying to imagine where Steve is but Steve lets him know where he is. Whether it be a knock on the wall or by moving a cup. Then Bucky comes up with the idea to try and see if Steve can use his phone.

Setting it on the counter he tells Steve to try to type out something. It fails the first couple of times until one day Bucky gets a _Hi gorgeous_

From then on, Bucky lets Steve use his tablet so that Steve can send messages as Bucky talks to him, “You see Steve, the future ain’t all that bad.”

They count down the months until the Fourth and by then they know each other well enough, like childhood best friends and know that they’re head over heels in love for each other. Until they spend Steve’s birthday together and Steve’s thoughts on their situation brings about their first fight.

Steve thinks Bucky is wasting his time with him and that he should be out looking for someone who can actually give him a normal life. That waiting for two days out of the year to see each other just won’t be enough. He’s afraid Bucky will resent him.

But Bucky argues back that he _does_ have a normal life with him, and that nothing that Steve says will change his mind, “I love you Steve, and until God gives me the boot and I can be with you forever, I ain’t leaving.”

Years start to go by, and the house is fixed up back to its original state, it’s beautiful and Bucky is proud of it. Pictures of Steve and his family are hung up along with his old paintings and new ones. There’s a portrait of Bucky that Steve worked on for several years until it was complete, only working on it when he was in his physical body.

Bucky’s family worries that he’s alone in the big house and don’t understand why he turns down the suggestion of settling down with someone. They would think he’s crazy if they knew his boyfriend is a dead WW2 soldier who only shows up twice a year.

Until one day Becca shows with a plate of hotdogs and drinks on the Fourth and Steve answers the door. Needless to say, the hotdogs end up on the floor when Becca recognizes the man from the pictures hung up in the house. She’d always thought Bucky just had a weird obsession with the original owners of the house.

She won’t say she’s not uncomfortable at the fact that her big brother is dating a ghost, but she understands that they’re in a unique situation and that it’s a once in a lifetime kind of love. She supports them and gets her parents to stop bugging him about dating.

Another year goes by, Bucky starts thinking about having kids, having someone to leave their house to when he finally gets to be with Steve. They adopt. A beautiful little baby girl with jet black hair and the sweetest smile. Steve didn’t think he’d be able to experience love twice.

He cherishes every moment he gets to physically hold her and Bucky makes sure that he takes pictures and videos of Steve and Sarah so that he can show her that she has two dads when Steve isn’t here.

When she’s older and starts to question why she doesn’t see her Papa all the time, Bucky tells her he has an important job saving people and keeping the world safe for her. A couple years later they adopt a little boy named Sam, who loves sports and can’t wait to play catch with Steve every time he comes around.

When their children get to the age where the story of “Your dad’s a superhero” doesn’t fly any more they sit down and explain to them that Steve _is_ always here. They tell them their story and stay up late to see their father disappear.

It’s an emotional night in the Barnes-Rogers household but they take it in stride. From then on, they talk to their Papa all the time and Bucky almost cries everyday thanking whatever power that gave him Steve. He’s got his dream house and he’s got the love of his life who he gets to share two beautiful children with.

When Bucky turns 45 and the kids are in college, Sarah about to graduate and Sam almost just starting Bucky gets sick. It’s a cancer that grows quickly and the doctors can’t do much for him.

He’s not afraid of death, he accepted it a long time ago when Steve came into his life. With nothing else to do, he stays in bed where he can feel Steve at his side until he eventually passes.

It’s a weird thing dying.

One moment he’s looking at his kids all grown up around his bedside and looking into the eyes of Steve and then the next he’s looking at them looking at his soulless body. He almost cries from happiness that he held on long enough to die on Steve’s death day. Steve told him not to get his hopes up but here he is, on the twenty-fifth of September.

He sees tears roll down Steve’s and his children’s faces but they had sat down and talked about the fact that dying didn’t mean that he wouldn’t be here with them and making sure they settled everything regarding the house and their future.

He settles a hand over Steve’s and his love turns around and smiles wide at feeling his presence, “He’s here, your dad is here.”

The next day their kids say goodbye to Steve and his physical body gives way to his ghost where the first thing he sees is Bucky with open arms.

“Hi Stevie.”

Steve runs to him and wraps his arms around him, “Buck oh my god!”

Bucky cries and cups Steve’s face to make sure he’s actually here with him, “I’m really here Steve, we’re going to be together forever now.”

“I guess it really is our spirits clinging onto this place, and not our ashes.”

“Thank you for clinging on long enough to meet me, I love you,” he confesses and then exclaims, “And look at me! I’m just as young as the day I met you!”

Steve looks at him adoringly, "You were and still are the most beautiful thing, I've ever seen."

They send a message to their kids to let them know that they’re reunited and then they pray that Bucky will be able to manifest himself the way Steve does for his birthday and their death day.

For now, they have until eternity to be together and that’s all that matters.

**Author's Note:**

> [my tumblr :D](https://riptideniall.tumblr.com/)
> 
> [The house inspired by this one!](https://realestate.blogs.pressdemocrat.com/16214/homes-built-in-1900-or-earlier/)


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